Edmonton might not spring to mind as a top destination for a pizza lover, but fans of the Alberta city’s pie scene have named it among the world’s best.
Yes, the world.
Conde Nast Traveler’s readers’ choice awards named Edmonton eighth among the top 14 cities to eat pizza.
The list was topped by some obvious heavyweights: Chicago, New York City and Rome. Six Italian cities made the list. Edmonton, birthplace of national chains Boston Pizza and Famosa, is Canada’s only entry.
But there are some other surprises, including Orlando, New Haven, Conn., and Las Vegas.
The travel website praises Edmonton’s “old-school joints” featuring toppings like meatballs, shrimp, pineapple and BBQ chicken in an era “when artisanal and hipster pizzerias are all the rage.”
Rosebowl Pizza and Tony’s Pizza Palace were singled as go-to places to get the best of Edmonton’s offerings.
Tony Mazzotta Jr, whose family has been making pizza in Edmonton since the 1970s, is even surprised to see his city on the list.
“You think pizza right away you think Naples, Milan, New York, Rome and then all of a sudden you see Edmonton, Alberta and you think, ‘Wow.’”
Sammy Moukhiber at Rosebowl Pizza says he and his father have been trying to create the perfect pie for almost two decades.
“We've been working on it for 17 years, about what layer goes on what, what topping goes where, how long we cook it for.”
Packrat Louie, which was also named by Conde Nast, is famous for its lemon pizza.
“The word chef and the word pizza don't necessarily always go together but there’s some great, talented chefs that use their creativity and don't just think inside the box,” said Jodh Singh at Packrat Louie.
Mazzotta says he expects to see Edmonton do even better than eighth next time.
